** Chinese H-shares listed in Hong Kong rose 1.3 percent to 11,598.27 while the Hang Seng Index was up 0.71 percent at 29,281.13.

** The smaller Shenzhen index was up 0.06 percent and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was higher by 0.34 percent.

** Around the region, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.35 percent while Japan’s Nikkei index was down 0.20 percent.

** The yuan was quoted at 6.6145 per U.S. dollar, 0.09 percent firmer than the previous close of 6.6206.

** The largest percentage gainers in the main Shanghai Composite index were Gansu Ronghua Industry Group Co Ltd up 9.95 percent, followed by COSCO Shipping Holdings Co Ltd gaining 8.32 percent and Beijing Electronic Zone Investment and Development Group Co Ltd up by 7.35 percent.

** The largest percentage losses in the Shanghai index were SJEC Corp down 10.01 percent, followed by Sichuan Langsha Holding Ltd losing 10 percent and Lawton Development Co Ltd down by 9.98 percent.

** So far this year, the Shanghai stock index is up 6.89 percent, while China’s H-share index is up 21.9 percent. Shanghai stocks have risen 0.01 percent this month.

** The top gainers among H-shares were Air China Ltd up 4.29 percent, followed by New China Life Insurance Co Ltd gaining 4.02 percent and Dongfeng Motor Group Co Ltd up by 3.99 percent.

** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were China Railway Construction Corp Ltd which has fallen 0.65 percent, Sinopharm Group Co Ltd which has lost 0.6 percent and China Galaxy Securities Co Ltd down by 0.3 percent.

** As of 04:02 GMT, China’s A-shares were trading at a premium of 29.90 percent over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares.

** The Shanghai stock index is below its 50-day moving average and above its 200-day moving average.

** In Hong Kong, the sub-index of the Hang Seng index tracking energy shares rose 1.2 percent while the IT sector rose 2.3 percent. The top gainer on the Hang Seng was Ping An Insurance Group Co of China Ltd up 3.64 percent, while the biggest loser was Bank of East Asia Ltd which was down 1.90 percent.